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Pak asks
ex-Chechen President to leave ISLAMABAD, Feb 22: Pakistan has asked the visiting former Chechen President.......more Sharp increase in COLOMBO, Feb 22: Sri Lanka will introduce the toughest ever legislation to curb ......more Nicotine gives leads to treating brain disease WASHINGTON, Feb 22: Nicotine, vilified for keeping smokers hooked to their deadly habit,.....more
Suicide bomber carried parcel bomb to kill Chandrika: Inquiry COLOMBO, Feb 22: The LTTE suicide bomber who blew up herself in an election .....more |
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Panfilova will be one of candidates for March 26 polls MOSCOW, Feb 22: Leading woman Russian political figure Ella Panfilova will be one of the 11 Presidential candidates.......more United Ireland unlikely LONDON, Feb 22: Irish unification is unlikely for half a century but cannot be ruled out, according to business leaders.....more TOKYO, Feb 22: Japanese police today arrested a cult guru who believed he could cure.....more Offensive in Chechnya to conclude soon: Russia MOSCOW, Feb 22: The Russian military has announced that its offensive in .....more Japan wants specific
gestures from India NEW DELHI, Feb 22: Japan wants India to make specific gestures including early signing of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty to pave the way for easing of sanctions imposed after the Pokhran nuclear tests in May, .....more |
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Pak asks ex-Chechen President to leave country immediately ISLAMABAD, Feb 22: Pakistan has asked the visiting former Chechen President Zelim Khan Yandrabaye to cease his activities forthwith and leave the country immediately. Zelim Khan arrived in Pakistan a few weeks back and addressed a number of public meetings. Besides, he also addressed ‘Jumma’ (Friday prayer) congregations along with the Jamaat-i-Islami leaders. In his speeches Zelim Khan had been urging Pakistan to recognie Chechnya and asked for funds for his Government. One of the aides of Zelim Khan told reporters, "we have been asked to pack up and leave". The order was passed on to Chechen leader in Peshawar yesterday. The spokesman of foreign office Tariq Altaf, however, said that the Chechen leader has been asked to leave the country in view of the expiry of his visa. It is learnt that Zalim Khan, instead of leaving for Kabul will go to Dubai to meet his wife and children. Afghanistan is the only country in the world which has recognised Chechnya. (UNI) |
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Sharp increase in crime in Sri Lanka COLOMBO, Feb 22: Sri Lanka will introduce the toughest ever legislation to curb organised crime and underworld activities as the country has reported a sharp increase in the crime rates. Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister G L Peiris has instructed the Law Commission to formulate necessary rules to stop such unlawful activities and said, "we should take stern measures to combat this menace effectively." "It is one of the top priorities of the Law Commission to draft rulings to combat crime by organised groups such as robbery, kidnapping and killing which are today the burning issues of our society," quoted Prof Peiris the state media as say into. Legal experts would examine similar legal procedures in various other countries including the US and China while formualting the legislation, he said. Such laws will also apply to drug trafficking, illegal arms dealing and even international terrorism. The minister experessed the hope that the legislation could be brought before Parliament within a couple of months. (UNI) |
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Nicotine gives leads to treating brain disease WASHINGTON, Feb 22: Nicotine, vilified for keeping smokers hooked to their deadly habit, is being rehabilitated by researchers who say it works to help patients with brain diseases ranging from parkinson’s to tourette’s. Although they said nicotine itself is a crude tool, they hope it will lead them to better drugs that can help protect brain cells from dying. That might prevent or delay the progression of alzheimer’s and parkinson’s. and nicotine’s affects on living brain cells might lead to better treatments for tourette’s, schizophrenia and attention deficit disorder. Dr Paul Newhouse and colleagues in the Psychiatry Department at the University of Vermont yesterday said it was too early to recommend that patients with parkinson’s or attention deficit disorder treat themselves with nicotine patches. "I think it would be a bit rash to recommend that people go out and buy these patches," he told a news conference. But psychiatry professor Paul Sanberg of the University of South Florida, who is testing nicotine in Tourette’s syndrome, said if other drugs were not working "a low-dose patch might be useful" for some patients. Newhouse and colleagues tested nicotine on 15 patients with parkinson’s. Nicotine "acutely" improved their attention and reaction times, although it did make their tremors slightly worse, he told a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Key chemical involved Parkinson’s is an incurable and fatal brain disease caused when cells die that usually produce dopamine, a key message-carrying chemical linked with movement, addiction, feelings of fullness and pleasure and the ability to focus attention on something. Nicotine is known to have effects on dopamine. Researchers have noticed for years that people who smoke are less likely to develop parkinson’s, so they are keen to see if it can protect the brain from both parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. "It doesn’t prove that nicotine is what protects people from parkinson’s but it’s a candidate," Newhouse said. It can also have effects on nerve growth factors, which would explain its ability to protect brain cells. Sometimes it seems to work by blocking receptors, or cellular doorways, in the brain called nicotine receptors, and sometimes it seems to act by stimulating these receptors. But Ken Lloyd of the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, described nicotine as acting in a kind of shotgun manner. "I think what people are trying to do is get away from nicotine per se," he said. It would be better, he said, to develop drugs that have more specific effects for each disease being considered. Abbott has attempted that with ABT-418, an experimental drug that acts as a nicotine receptor agonist — stimulating the receptors. Stimulants can mimic blockers Evidence suggests that when overstimulated, the receptors can close themselves down. Thus agents that stimulate the receptor can have a similar effect to blocking the receptor. Newhouse studied the effects of nicotine and ABT-418. He said both have helped parkinson’s and alzheimer’s patients. "The degree of improvement varied," he said. "Some patients noticed a dramatic effect, some did not." They have given ABT-418 to just 7 patients. But they saw a significant improvement in verbal memory and learning, as well as their ability to walk and use computers. Sanberg tested nicotine and similar drugs in children with tourette’s syndrome, which causes facial tics, verbal outbursts and disruptive behaviour. "Nicotine, especially the patch, improves them significantly," Sanberg said. He said his team was able to reduce the doses of the prescription drug haldol that the children were taking. But there were side-effects. "There has not been addiction in any child we gave the nicotine to," Sanberg said. But they developed nausea, other stomach troubles and itchiness where the patch is applied. Now they hope to test mecamylamine, made by merck under the name inversine, which blocks the nicotine receptors on cells. It was withdrawn from the market in 1996. Sanberg works with a small california biotechnology company, Layton Bioscience Inc., which is making the drug and hopes to have it on the market later this year. (REUTERS) |
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Suicide bomber carried parcel bomb to kill Chandrika: Inquiry COLOMBO, Feb 22: The LTTE suicide bomber who blew up herself in an election rally of Chandrika Kumaratunga on December 18 injuring the Sri Lankan President, carried the explosives in her handbag and not strapped to her body as initially believed, detectives investigating the case have said. CID official, S P Samasinghe told a Colombo Court yesterday that forensic tests conducted at the site of the blast have established that the suicide bomber carried the explosive in a parcel which was concealed in her handbag. Earlier police had believed that the bomber who managed to gain entry into the VIP enclosure of the rally, blasted herself when Chandrika was leaving the meeting. Despite having placed a two million reward for any information on the suicide bomber, the police was able to only partially identify her as not many people came forward with credible clues to her past. Twenty-five people were killed and over 112, including Kumaratunga and several of her Cabinet Ministers injured in the blast. The blast inflicted serious damage to the right eye of the President. (PTI) |
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Panfilova will be one of candidates for March 26 polls MOSCOW, Feb 22: Leading woman Russian political figure Ella Panfilova will be one of the 11 Presidential candidates for the March 26 election for the top post in Kremlin, it was announced here by the Election Commission after rejecting number of nominations. Ms Panfilova heads the Civil Dignity Society Party and has been in forefront in advocating women’s rights. Though she may not have a chance to win the race, she has already made history by accepting the challenge for the post on behalf of Russian womanhood. She played a major role in the late eighties and early nineties for democratic movement and had been a staunch supporter of former President Boris Yeltsin. In the Election Commission’s approved list of eleven Presidential candidates, only three statesmen are serious contenders, though according to current popularity rating Vladimir Putin, supported by pro-Kremlin party unity, is far ahead of others in the electoral battle. The two other candidates with substantial following are Communist Party Chairman Gennadi Zyuganov and champion of liberal economy and democratic reforms, Grigory Yavlinsky. Ms Panfilova may secure a big chunk of women voters, political observers feel, though her chances of winning the race are remote. She will go down in history as the first woman of the country to throw her hat in the ring. Voice of Russia, basing itself on the results of the public opinion polls conducted by all the leading public views analysis centres of Russia, has predicted a resounding victory for the acting President Putin in the first round of elections, where he is expected to receive more than fifty per cent of registered votes required for victory. (UNI) |
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United Ireland unlikely but not impossible LONDON, Feb 22: Irish unification is unlikely for half a century but cannot be ruled out, according to business leaders and political analysts North and South of the border. "A united Ireland will certainly not happen in 20 years but with democracy, and a fluid and developing political situation, anything could happen (eventually)," said Bill Jeffrey, Vice Chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses in Belfast. Unification of the British-ruled North with the Irish Republic is a sensitive issue. Under the peace process dublin has renounced its claim to Northern Ireland to reassure a protestant community determined to remain in the United Kingdom. Republicans have agreed to sit in a Northern Ireland Parliament but are committed to ending the partition which has existed since the 1920s. Remote though the prospect of unification may be, Reuters asked business leaders, academics and economists on both sides of the border if and when they thought it would ever happen. Of 11 canvassed by Reuters, four said a United Ireland would take 50 years, one said it could happen within the next 20 to 50, one said it could take 20 years and one said it was possible but gave no time frame. Four said it would never occur. All respondents except two requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. "It’s fraught with uncertainty," said one economist. "There has to be a democratic political system in place, violence would have to be eliminated and it could only be decided in a referendum. It could then possibly occur but it’s very much something far down the road." Demographics to have impact The peace process hangs in the balance over protestant demands that Irish Republican guerillas give up their weapons. London reimposed direct rule of Northern Ireland earlier this month to prevent pro-British protestants walking out of a Government in which they had shared power with catholics. But whatever the outcome, the demographic shape of Northern Ireland is changing and this will alter the political landscape. Protestants currently outnumber catholics 60-40 but the catholic population is growing faster and the British Government says it will respect the will of the majority. "You need to be looking 40 years down the road when you will have a population that is 50 per cent protestants and 50 per cent catholics," said one industry chief. If a united Ireland does come about, the way will have been paved by membership of the European Union, he added. "When you look at things in the European Union context as the impact of borders start to decline, things will change over the next 30 or 40 years," he said. "What will bring us together would be the EU framework — directives, integration and harmonisation at the European level." But one respondent based in London said 20 years is a possible timeframe because the demographic changes will eventually produce a nationalist majority in votes for the leading catholic parties, the Sdlp and Sinn Fein. "Such a nationalist majority at the party level might not, however, immediately translate into a nationalist majority for irish unification in a referendum." said Brendan O’Leary, Professor of Political Science at the London School of Economics. "There is a minority of catholic unionists, but their numbers might shrink as nationalists grow in strength and as the Republic becomes increasingly attractive." South may not want unity Sinn Fein Chairman Gerry Adams, whose republican party is the political voice of the Ira guerilla group, wants a united Ireland and has long campaigned for the withdrawal of the British Army from the province and the end of direct rule from London. Some respondents said the Irish Republic might not want to unite with the North. The integration of the underdeveloped North into the buoyant south would impose a heavy and unwanted financial burden on Ireland’s thriving economy, they said. "The North of Ireland has heavy subventions from the British Government and in a united Ireland it would then fall on the south to try and subsidise the Northern economy," said one economist. "The Northern economy has just fallen so far behind it would be a bit of a drag — a little like the reunification of Germany." An Irish Professor agreed. "With the economic costs involved, nobody would be prepared to make the effort. Whatever happens in Northern Ireland in the end the republic would balk." To prevent a unified Ireland, Unionists and the British Government will have to demonstrate that the union can treat Irish nationalists with full equality, recognition and autonomy, said O’Leary. "They have shown some signs of being willing to do that but certainly not enough to weaken the strength of Irish nationalist loyalties." Others said protestant Unionists in the North will never agree to unification. "You should not underestimate the core unionist sentiment. They would rather live in tents than give up (British) sovereignty," said one top industry official. Accept diversity However, future generations could learn to accept diversity as a cultural strength, some respondents said. "In time, with changes in voting patterns and within the European context, those differences would become blurred," said Jeffrey. "Everyone is proud of their heritage but it may become less important whether one is from the North or South." Graduates are leaving college with the perception of Ireland as a single job market and will go anywhere to find work, said one economist. "The Republic of Ireland is creating jobs faster than they can educate their kids. There will be a gradual pull heading South for work," he said. Others said that as more working class children attend university, future generations will gain the confidence to leave prejudice behind. After growing up in an climate of violence and unrest, that could mean they will turn away from politics. "That generation is blurring the old lines of division. No matter how badly we screw it up, they will get it together," said one economist. "(This generation) want to relax and do not want to play in politics." (REUTERS) |
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TOKYO, Feb 22: Japanese police today arrested a cult guru who believed he could cure illness by patting people on the head, signalling a tougher stance by Japan against religious cults. Koji Takahashi, leader of a cult called "life space," was arrested with six followers in connection with the death of a 66-year-old sect follower whose mummified body was found in a hotel room last November. His family claimed he was still alive and receiving treatment for a brain haemorrhage by getting pats on the head from Takahashi. Police who later raided facilities belonging to the cult found children crammed into an apartment, apparently kept away from school and fed only once a day. Japanese authorities have been cracking down on cults recently amid fears that membership in fringe anti-social religious groups is rising. The Doomsday Group accused of a fatal 1995 gas attack on the Tokyo subway system was placed under surveillance by the Government on February 1 under new laws. Police and authorities have since raided several branches of the Aum Shinri Kyo (supreme truth) cult despite a lawsuit filed by the group claiming the Government was violating its freedoms. (REUTERS) |
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Offensive in Chechnya to conclude soon: Russia MOSCOW, Feb 22: The Russian military has announced that its offensive in Chechnya will conclude soon as the Army had gained control over the entire flatlands in the region and fighting was currently on only in the last two rebel strongholds, the Argun and Vedeno Gorges. A Defence Ministry spokesman said last night that rebels in Argun and Vedeno were being wiped out through day and night airstrikes with paratroopers dropped in the high mountains. The number of Chechen separatist forces and foreign mercenaries in these regions is estimated to be somewhere between 3000 to 3500. The Ministry announced that with the final phase of offensive to be over soon, the first contingent of the federal troops will begin moving out of Chechnya soon. Hurrying to fulfill the mission at the earliest, the armed forces have resorted to the use of aerosol bombs being dropped by the SU-24 fighter bombers, according to the Russian daily Trud’s War Correspondent Victor Khlyastun. Presenting a graphic picture of the horror caused by the 1.5-tonne aerosol bomb, he said, "I stood far away watching the bomb explode. The blast was really terrifying- a huge fireball rose into the skies as the bomb detonated rather silently." "However, that explosion sent waves of innermost terror rippling through my body, for I know there was no escaping this silent fireball, which is even more devastating than the napalm bomb." "One can hide from the napalm bomb, but aerosol will get you anywhere, inside caves, fox holes, trenches. Each bomb contains a special inflammable aerosol mixture, which seeps during initial, preparatory explosion, subsequently penetrating all cracks and spreading over the ground. Each areosol kills all things living in the immediate vicinity," the war correspondent recounts his first-hand observation. (UNI) Japan wants specific gestures from India to ease sanctions NEW DELHI, Feb 22: Japan wants India to make specific gestures including early signing of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty to pave the way for easing of sanctions imposed after the Pokhran nuclear tests in May, 1998, former Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto indicated today. Asked specifically what Tokyo was hinting at, Hashimoto, senior foreign policy adviser to the Japanese Premier Keizo Obuchi, told reporters here the cards are in India’s hands. Hashimoto, who has met senior ministers, opposition leaders and others during his visit here, revealed that a Japanese appraisal team from the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund (OECF) was here last month for parleys on the second phase of the Rs.4,860 crore Delhi metro rail project. The team’s visit is being viewed as a clear signal of Japan’s desire to resume its assistance for developmental projects in India. Tokyo has released the first tranche of 14,760 million yen which is drawn upon for the project since 1998-99. Japan has agreed to extend soft loan to the extent of 56 per cent of the project cost. Hashimoto, who was Prime Minister at the time of the nuclear explosions, had taken a hard stance and suspended Official Development Assistance (ODA) to India and Pakistan besides supporting other western punitive measures. Hashimoto said Japan looked forward to India’s early signing of the CTBT. If India is to take this symbolic decision, it will be able to join the international stream for non-proliferation....Which would be mutually beneficial for India and also help in further strengthening bilateral relations with Japan, he said. The Japanese leader, however, hastened to add that this (signing CTBT) is a decision India will have to take by themselves and for themselves. The former Japanese Premier regretted that the nuclear tests had taken place at a time when utmost efforts were being made by both countries to consolidate bilateral ties. He said ODA was frozen in accordance with its charter evolved much before the nuclear tests. After the tests, Japan had little choice but to implement the charter, he indicated. Hashimoto also stated that Japan fervently desired that bilateral relations with India should not be stalled on a single issue. He felt that exchange of high-level visits by the two countries and joint commemorative activities to mark the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties between the two countries would help give a new dimension to bilateral relations. Asked whether Japan shared us apprehensions of a dangerous situation prevailing between India and Pakistan, he said Tokyo desired a peaceful solution to the Jammu and Kashmir issue. Hashimoto said the Kargil conflict had increased concerns in the international community that the India-Pakistan problem could lead to some danger. Japan, he said, had offered its condolences to the many casualties in the Kargil operations and paid tributes to Indian soldiers who had fought under trying conditions. If India’s borders were affected in any manner, it would have a fallout on South Asia and the entire world. So any condition of instability in these areas was a matter of concern for the international community, he added. (PTI) |
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